As is well known, a production string of tubulars having a completion on its lower end can be inserted into a cased or uncased wellbore. The production string may be required for a number of reasons, including carrying produced fluid from production zones up to the surface of the wellbore.
Conventionally, the production string includes one or more completion tools, such as: a barrier in the form of a flapper valve or the like; a packer to seal the annulus between the completion string and the casing; and a circulation valve to selectively circulate fluid from out of the throughbore of the production tubing and into the annulus to flush fluids up the annulus and out of the wellbore. The production string may also include other completion tools, such as sand screen assemblies, gravel packing equipment, sliding sleeves, and the like.
The various completion tools downhole can be selectively activated in a number of ways. In one method, operators can use intervention equipment, such as tools run with an intervention rig into the production tubing on slickline to actuate the tools. In an alternative method, the completion and production string can be run into the cased wellbore with electrical cables that run from the various tools up the outside of the production string to the surface. In this way, power and control signals can be sent down the cables to the various tools.
Despite these methods, a completion apparatus is desirable that can reduce the requirements for either cables run from the downhole completion up to the surface and/or reduce the need for intervention to be able to actuate the various completion tools.